ᴛʀᴀɢᴇᴅʏ

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...SHUBHRA'S POV...

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"Please, Serenity, don't leave me, don't leave us! Please, don't go! 'Ruk ja, tere bina main kya karunga? Mere liye na sahi, apne baccho ke liye hi ruk ja!' (Stay, what will I do without you? If not for me, then at least for our children, please stay!) My dad begged my mother, but she didn't stop... she just kept walking away."

"Are you serious, Girish? Why would I stop? You lied to me, and that's not all - you shattered my trust. I hate you, Girish. I hate you forever. I had believed in you, trusted you with my everything, but you proved me wrong. You broke me in ways I never thought possible." She spoke, her voice trembling with anguish as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Mom, please don't go! Please, Mom, see, Rudra is crying too! Please, for his sake..." I begged, but my words fell on deaf ears. I could hear my 5-year-old brother's anguished cries, and I lifted him into my arms, trying to comfort him as I continued to plead with my mother.

I held him tight against my chest, but he wouldn't stop sobbing. All he wanted was his mother, but his tears, his cries, none of it was enough to stop her from leaving...

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry! But... I can't keep doing this anymore. I'm not strong enough to keep going. Please, try to understand me." She said, her voice cracking with emotion, as she cupped my face in her hands, her eyes pleading for empathy and comprehension.

She kissed my forehead, her lips barely grazing my skin, leaving a gentle touch that belied the finality of her departure. And then, she was gone.

3 years later...

I woke up to a loud bang on the door, groggily opening my eyes to see it was already 6 a.m. I hastily got out of bed and rushed to the kitchen.

Shouting "Aa rahi hun bhaiya, bas ek minute!".

(Coming, give me a minute, please!)

I grabbed the pot and hurried to the main door, opening it to find a middle-aged man standing there with a large drum in his hand.

He said, "Kitti der karti ho, bitiya? Aur bhi jagah jana hota hai dudh dene ko?"

(How long will you take, child? There are other places to deliver milk to as well!)

I apologized, "Maaf kar dijiye, kaka."

(Sorry, uncle)

"Choro, ye lo dudh." he replied.

(Never mind, take the milk.)

He poured the milk from his drum into my pot using an aluminum mug.

After the milkman left, I closed the door and headed back to the kitchen.

I put the pot of milk on the stove, turned on the flame, and waited for it to boil.

Once it did, I turned off the gas and started getting ready for school.

It took me about 20 minutes to get ready, tie my hair into a high ponytail, and head back to the kitchen.

I decided to make sandwiches for lunch and Maggi for breakfast, which took me about 30 minutes to prepare and pack for both myself and my brother.

"After that, I headed towards my brother's bedroom when a knock on the door caught my attention.

I peered through the hole in the gate and saw my father standing there, so I opened the door for him.

He entered, and I could tell he hadn't been out drinking all night - he had just finished a night shift at the hospital.

"Sweetheart, can I have a cup of chai?" he asked

"Of course, why not?"I replied,

before heading to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, I returned with the tea to find Rudra already dressed and ready for school.

"Wow, you're up and ready!" I exclaimed.

He responded lazily, "Yeah, I'm not a kid anymore. I can wake up and get ready on my own!'"

"Yes, yes, of course..." my dad said chuckling.

"Yup, I can" my brother replied,

rolling his eyes.

"Well, Dad, your tea, and come on, Rudra, have your breakfast." I said, getting their attention.

After breakfast, I packed our lunches and we headed to school while Dad took a nap.

School was the same as always, no drama or extra excitement.

We arrived at 8 a.m., just before the bell rang, and went to our classes.

At 2 p.m., the final bell rang, and I headed to my brother's class, where he was waiting for me. We walked home together and reached the house, ringing the doorbell.

Dad opened the door, saying

"Welcome back, kiddos!"

My brother quipped, "I don't know about her, but I'm definitely not a kid."

"Yeah, you're an 8-year-old adult!" I teased.

He rolled his eyes, and we all burst out laughing.

After laughing, I went to my room, changed into a pink floral midi, and had a nice bath. When I came to the dining room, I saw Dad and Rudra already seated.

I asked Dad, "Aaj toh lagta hai kuch khass bana hai?"

(Seems like there's something special to eat today). "Han bilkul, aaj matar paneer aur pooriya jo bani hai" He replied

(Definitely, it's matar paneer and pooris today for lunch).

"Waah! Aaj toh maza aagya!" I exclaimed

(Wow, so much fun today)!

Dad served us pooris and matar paneer, and we all dug in, enjoying our lunch together.

After a refreshing power nap.

I began working on my homework.

Rudra joined me in my room with his books, and we studied together for about an hour.

Just then, our father entered the room, looking tense.

"I have to leave for the hospital now," he announced.

"and I've already ordered food for you both."

I noticed the worry on his face and asked, "Is the patient's condition not stable?" He seemed taken aback by my question.

Replying, "What? No, no, it's not that. Just something else."

I sensed that something was off, but he quickly added,

"I'll be back soon. And remember, don't open the door for anyone." I nodded

"Yeah, Dad, I won't."

I closed the door.After studying for a few hours, I glanced at the clock on my wall and noticed it was 6 p.m.

My brother and I packed our bags, and I headed to the kitchen to make some sandwiches while he settled in to watch TV.

I made the sandwiches and joined him in the hall, sitting down on the sofa where he was engrossed in cartoons.

I asked him to change the channel so I could watch my favorite movie, but he refused, saying

"Na, Nako, never!"

We started fighting, with me grabbing his hair and him pulling my ponytail.

We kicked, punched, and wrestled each other until I finally got the upper hand and he surrendered the remote control.

I spent some time channel-surfing before settling on "Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashma," which we both watched for a few hours.

When the clock struck 7, I took my phone from the table and placed an order for food.

Around 8:30, a knock at the door broke our attention from the TV, and I got up to see who it was.

I peeked through the peephole and found the delivery man with our food.

Since I had already paid online, I told him to leave the food and go, which he did after placing the box outside.

Fifteen minutes later, I opened the gate and brought the food inside.

After unpacking it, I served it onto two plates and called my brother to come and eat.

We both enjoyed our meal, and then retired to our rooms.

I jumped onto my bed and soon drifted off into a fantastical daydream.

Just as I was about to fall into a deep sleep, a knock at the door abruptly woke me up, and a childish voice behind the door caught my attention.

"Didi, can I sleep with you today?" Rudra asked, his voice filled with a hint of fear.

It was a familiar request, one that came often when our dad had a night shift.

As a loving sister, I couldn't resist his plea. I opened the gate, took him in my arms, and placed him on the bed beside me.

"What's wrong, Rudra?" I asked, noticing the worry in his eyes.

"I'm scared, Didi," he replied, his voice trembling.

I comforted him with a warm smile.

"Oh, my sweet brother, come, we'll sleep here together tonight. Okay?"

He nodded "Okay," and soon,

sleep enveloped us both.

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...AUTHOR'S POV...

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Around 3 a.m., the phone on Subhra's bedside table rang, piercing the silence with its persistent buzz.

On the fourth ring, she picked it up, her hand moving slowly as she pressed the answer button and brought the phone to her ear.

She was still half-asleep, but the scared voice on the other end sent a jolt of adrenaline through her body.

She sat up with a start, her comforter falling away from her shoulders.

"Beta, bhago!" (Run, child!) the voice urged in a low, panicked tone.

Subhra's mind raced as she asked, "Papa, kya hua?"

(What happened, Father?)

"Sawal mat poocho, bas jaldi se wahan se niklo" The voice on the phone was insistent

(Don't ask questions, just run from there quickly)

"Please..." Subhra pleaded,but the voice cut her off

"Jaldi!"

(Fast!)

"They're coming..." the voice on the phone trailed off.

Before Subhra could process everything, she hears the sound of a gunshot and then, eerie silence.

The sudden end to the conversation left her in shock, her mind racing with questions.

"Who was it, Papa? Who?" she whispered, but there was no answer.

She sat frozen on her bed, her body numb, her thoughts reeling from the abrupt and ominous phone call.

She couldn't process what had just happened, couldn't comprehend the danger that seemed to be lurking. She was paralyzed with fear, unable to move or think clearly, her mind stuck in a state of disbelief.

As the reality of what she had just witnessed sunk in, Subhra was overcome with horror and grief.

She realized that the person who had been shot was her father, and tears began streaming down her face as she cried uncontrollably.

She felt helpless and lost, unable to process the sudden and brutal loss of her father.

The feeling of uncertainty and vulnerability was suffocating her, and she was struggling to think clearly. But one thing was certain - someone had taken her father's life.

As she sat there, lost in her thoughts, a sudden knock at the door made her jump with fear.

Her father's last words echoed in her mind, and panic began to rise inside her.

With a surge of adrenaline, she quickly lifted Rudra from the bed and looked out the window.

What she saw made her blood run cold.

3-4 men armed with guns were standing at her gate, their intentions clear.

Adrenaline surged through her veins and Subhra made a split-second decision to flee through the back gate in the kitchen, which led to a different street.

She sprinted towards the kitchen, carrying a still-sleeping Rudra in her arms.

The knocking at the front door grew louder and more insistent but she knew she couldn't count on her neighbors for help - their houses were too far apart in the private villa complex.

She flung open the back gate and took off running, her legs moving on autopilot.

Just as she thought she'd managed to escape, a hand clamped down on her shoulder from behind.

"Akhir kar pakar main aa hi gayi, ab Bach k kahan jaugi?" a menacing voice sneered

(Finally, we've caught you; now you have nowhere to escape?)

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Author's Point

...What is gonna happen next? Any guesses??...

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